Marshall Criser III, the man expected to be approved next week as the next state university system chancellor, publicly backed Common Core standards in an opinion piece published in at least two newspapers. Some excerpts:

Early in October, I was in Davie to attend one of the public hearings on education standards for Florida’s K-12 students. It was an energized room, and I was honored to speak as a citizen, parent and business leader in favor of staying the course on the Florida Standards. As a strong supporter of education in the Sunshine State, I believe that these standards are a powerful tool to make sure our young people are ready for the world and workplace that await them.

... The Florida Standards, our version of the Common Core State Standards as adopted by our state and 44 others a few years ago, give our schools an ambitious but reachable target to help close this gap. They focus on the key areas of mathematics and English language arts and help ensure that our high school graduates are prepared to go to college or enter the workforce and compete in the global marketplace.